SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT — PC Construction recently accepted a National Project Achievement Award from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). The CMAA award recognized PC’s work on the BETA Technologies’ Manufacturing and Assembly Facility, which supports the manufacture and assembly of the electric aerospace company’s battery-powered aircraft and electric charging infrastructure.
This facility, which was completed last year, included the construction of a new, 188,500-square-foot high-bay building located directly adjacent to the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport runways. The fully operating facility includes aircraft manufacture and assembly space, office and employee spaces, and support areas. Work included substantial site preparation, blasting and excavation, a parking lot and utility road, and a 2.7-acre geothermal field, which is one of the largest in New England.
The CMAA National Project Achievement Awards recognize those construction projects that are pinnacles of excellence and innovation. In 2024, CMAA recognized 17 projects for their achievements in construction management, with the BETA project winning the top honor in the commercial, sports, entertainment, or hospitality greater than $50 million category.
This large and complex project required PC to proactively support and address several key challenges for BETA, including incompatible zoning regulation impacts, supply chain disruption, and the proximity to an operating airport. In addition, evolving manufacturing requirements caused significant building scope and design changes midway through construction. Despite these challenges, the project was completed on a drastically accelerated timeline. PC poured the first placement of concrete in June 2022, and BETA started installing equipment on the manufacturing floor less than 12 months later. Recently, BETA rolled its first production-intent electric aircraft off the final assembly line at this facility — marking another major milestone, just another year later.
“PC had the mental flexibility to align with BETA as a startup, not just as a company doing a construction project," said Alex Gagnon, a representative from BETA. "Specifically, PC embraced scheduling the way we define it: not just getting something done by the deadline, but getting it done ASAP. The result, a net-zero building where we will build net-zero aircraft, is something we can all be proud of.”
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“I am so proud to have been a part of this important project for the state of Vermont, and for the incredible team who poured their heart and soul into the design and construction efforts," PC President and CEO Matt Cooke said. "This was a truly collaborative project from the start, and the resulting success is testament to that team effort.”
